Other Sites

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Split Screen

Guileless as she may seem, our little Jada apparently does have some new tricks up her sleeve. Or should I say “old tricks,” if not the oldest trick in the child’s playbook: splitting up the parents to get the desired answer.

Though her cherished American Girl catalog had arrived in the mail one day, I had told her she had to go straight to bed, because it was late and the next day was going to be her first day of school. She pouted and pouted, and then finally insisted on asking me to ask Mommy to come up and sing once she got home (she was working late).

Amy came home but didn’t go straight up to their bedroom, so Jada came down and said to me, “I heard that Mommy’s home; can you ask her to come upstairs and sing to us?” Only when Amy went up there to sing, Jada started lobbying her about getting her hands on that American Girl catalog.

Amy, presenting a united front, said no dice. I made note to let Jada know the next morning that I was on to her splitting ways, and that she was not to do that again. Having received an unsatisfactory answer, to try to get a better one from the other parent is verboten in my book. Not that she won’t try it again. But at least this first time, we repelled it.